On January 13, 2018, USCIS issued guidance governing the continued acceptance of DACA renewal applications, in light of the federal court injunction.
Applicants whose DACA expired on or after September 5, 2016 may file their renewal request with USCIS, effective immediately. With a few exceptions, your DACA renewal application will be processed according to the previous protocol. For more information about adjudication, see the guidelines set forth in the June 15, 2012 DACA memo (PDF), and the USCIS DACA Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
If your DACA expired prior to September 5, 2016, your renewal application must meet the burden of a first-time application, but otherwise can be filed “in accordance with Form I-821D and I-765 instructions.”
Please be advised:
- No applications for advanced parole under DACA will be accepted.
- No first-time (“initial”) applications for deferred action under DACA will be accepted.
Given the temporary nature of the court injunction, we recommend filing your DACA renewal application as soon as possible.
The original text can be found on USCIS.gov, and is reproduced below:
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals: Response to January 2018 Preliminary Injunction
Jan. 13, 2018, Update: Due to a federal court order, USCIS has resumed accepting requests to renew a grant of deferred action under DACA. Until further notice, and unless otherwise provided in this guidance, the DACA policy will be operated on the terms in place before it was rescinded on Sept. 5, 2017.
Individuals who were previously granted deferred action under DACA may request renewal by filing Form I-821D (PDF), Form I-765 (PDF), and Form I-765 Worksheet (PDF), with the appropriate fee or approved fee exemption request, at the USCIS designated filing location, and in accordance with the instructions to the Form I-821D (PDF) and Form I-765 (PDF). USCIS is not accepting requests from individuals who have never before been granted deferred action under DACA. USCIS will not accept or approve advance parole requests from DACA recipients.
If you previously received DACA and your DACA expired on or after Sept. 5, 2016, you may still file your DACA request as a renewal request. Please list the date your prior DACA ended in the appropriate box on Part 1 of the Form I-821D.
If you previously received DACA and your DACA expired before Sept. 5, 2016, or your DACA was previously terminated at any time, you cannot request DACA as a renewal (because renewal requests typically must be submitted within one year of the expiration date of your last period of deferred action approved under DACA), but may nonetheless file a new initial DACA request in accordance with the Form I-821D and Form I-765 instructions. To assist USCIS with reviewing your DACA request for acceptance, if you are filing a new initial DACA request because your DACA expired before Sept. 5, 2016, or because it was terminated at any time, please list the date your prior DACA expired or was terminated on Part 1 of the Form I-821D, if available.
Deferred action is a discretionary determination to defer a removal action of an individual as an act of prosecutorial discretion. Further, deferred action under DACA does not confer legal status upon an individual and may be terminated at any time, with or without a Notice of Intent to Terminate, at DHS’s discretion. DACA requests will be adjudicated under the guidelines set forth in the June 15, 2012 DACA memo (PDF).
Additional information will be forthcoming.